HP's tablet PCs are known for their strong build and reliability. With the EliteBook 2740p, HP have
released an update to their older EliteBook 2730p line. The tablets have been updated to incorporate
new Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, to bring them up to speed with recent application advancements
in the last two years (including the release of Windows 7, which comes as standard on the tablet). It
now also comes as standard with 4GB of onboard memory, however, the modularity of the tablet makes it
easy to upgrade components if required, and the 2740p can take up to 8GB of RAM. HP also offer packages
with Solid State Drives, of up to 160GB, so gone are the days of loading signs and waiting minutes for
a document to open. Overall, the tablet certainly isn't anything ground-breaking, however HP can't be
faulted for building on an already successful design. This is definitely a tablet up there with the
best, so if you haven't invested in one of their previous iterations of the model, the EliteBook 2740p
is one you should look in to.
With the overwhelmingly positive response from consumers for the Touch HD2, HTC has responded to
feedback by releasing the HTC HD mini - basically a HD2 but in a smaller package. The phone is about
the size of the old HTC Touch, which could easily fit into the palm of your hand. It retains all of
the functional features of the HD2, including the very nice 5mp camera, however, with the miniaturization
come some compromises. Namely, the processor has been downsized from 1Ghz to 600Mhz, the amount of
onboard RAM has been decreased a bit, and the screen is slightly smaller. Despite this, there are some
extremely nice improvements over the HD2. The main one would be the capacitive touch screen (as
opposed to the resistive touch screen of the HD2) - a first in the HTC line, for a phone running
Windows Mobile! This means that a stylus is no longer required to operate the phone, and you do not
have to risk scratching the screen from putting pressure on it. The battery life and talk time has
also been increased slightly, due to less power consumption from the smaller screen and processor. If
you loved the HD or the HD2, the HD mini will certainly be one that should be on your short list. Note,
however, that it is currently only available in European and Asian markets, though there are plans to
release it to the US in the near future.
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